Venice to Rome by Train

Can anyone advise if they have done this? There are two train stations from which trains leave. Which is best? How do you buy your ticket? How did you get from the ship to the train station? Thanks.

You can depart from either Venice Santa Lucia or Venice Mestre. Santa Lucia is closer but you have to get across the Grand Canal with your luggage. If you can cross a decent sized bridge with your stuff, Santa Lucia is good. You can also get across the canal by taking the vaporetto for one stop.

Alternately, you could take a land taxi from the cruise port to Venice Mestre. The taxi fare will be around 30 Euro but it's door-to-door.

The place to purchase your ticket is directly from trenitalia at http://www.trenitalia.com. There is an English language version of the site. The earlier you purchase your tickets the lower the price will be. Note that tickets don't go on sale until about four months prior to the travel date.

I did it the opposite direction a couple of months ago. I went from Termini to St. Lucia station in Venice. Very easy, a 4 hour train ride with nice views.

I got my tickets about six weeks ahead of time, but plenty of people bought the day of. It wasn't a very crowded train.

I did it from Venice Santa Lucia to Rome. I was a solo traveler and able to handle my one large and one small bag over the bridge to the train station. But I am a big, strong guy. I bought my ticket a couple weeks in advance using the trenitalia site that eurocruiser provided above. I had no problem finding a spot for my luggage on the train and I had a specific reserved seat that was more than comfortable. It was second class, if I recall. The ride was interesting and without any issues. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. This was not my first European train ride, however. So I knew the basics going into it. Also, I did not start at the cruise port, but rather I started at a hotel directly on P. Roma. So I just walked the entire way.

If you want to board the train at Santa Lucia, you will have to go from your ship to Piazzale Roma (most people would recommend using the new People Mover to do this, I believe the charge is 1 euro and it's easy to do with luggage). Then at Piazzale Roma you just have to get to the train station, as others have said, over one bridge.

If you want to spring for a taxi from the ship, they can take you to the Mestre station for relatively little hassle. Sometimes taxis are waiting, but others have recommended pre-booking one if you are concerned about timing.

I just took the train from Venice to Rome (as a solo female) last April. I was lucky in that my ship docked at San Basilio rather than in the large Marittima port. I was able to take a vaporetto from right next to my ship to the stop directly in front of the train station at Santa Lucia -- easy as could be. As the other poster said above, I had no problem finding a spot for my luggage and had a 2nd class seat reserved (purchased in advance at a super saver rate).

It was a nice journey and I'd certainly do it again.

You can depart from either Venice Santa Lucia or Venice Mestre. Santa Lucia is closer but you have to get across the Grand Canal with your luggage. If you can cross a decent sized bridge with your stuff, Santa Lucia is good. You can also get across the canal by taking the vaporetto for one stop.

 

Alternately, you could take a land taxi from the cruise port to Venice Mestre. The taxi fare will be around 30 Euro but it's door-to-door.

 

The place to purchase your ticket is directly from trenitalia at http://www.trenitalia.com. There is an English language version of the site. The earlier you purchase your tickets the lower the price will be. Note that tickets don't go on sale until about four months prior to the travel date.

Thanks so much for the onfo. Since there are two of us we will probably take the taxi to Mestre and board there. Are the taxi's metered or are they flat rates? Thanks.

Just a quick tip about the train. We did the reverse (Rome to Venice) a few weeks ago and upon boarding the train the guy in front of me helped my wife with her suitcase... then demanded a tip. I told him to take a hike but others on the train who had the same thing happen were shocked and surprised and wound up giving him 5 euros.

I talked to a few people and they said it's quite common so keep your eyes out. I've also been told to keep an eye on your luggage.

As far a the Santa Lucia station, the only difficult part is the bridge. It's only about 500 meters from the station to the people mover. Very doable. Just my 2 cents :)

The bridge in question in Venice is easily doable with rolling luggage. Unlike most other bridges in Venice, it is relatively luggage friendly - the steps are very tiny, only an inch or two in height. If I were doing it all over again, I'd still take the train out of Santa Lucia.

free wifi on the train too from Venice to Rome.

Be careful whilst all trains bound for Roma Termini originate from Venezia St Lucia , many of them do NOT stop at Venezia Mestre .

Book your tickets on line via Trenatalia website . Seat booking compulsory.

People Mover from Maratima Terminal to Piazzale de Roma then walk across the Piazzale over the flash new glass bridge over the Grand Canal along the quay 200m to St.Lucia station . With cases on wheels no problems.

Departures from St Lucia hourly at 25 minutes past the hour . Travel time to Roma Termini is 3 hours 40 minutes via Firenze as through trains .

Seat bookings open around 90 days in advance .

Be careful whilst all trains bound for Roma Termini originate from Venezia St Lucia , many of them do NOT stop at Venezia Mestre .

In fact, it's extremely rare to find any train from Venice Santa Lucia that does not stop at Mestre.

You can purchase tickets 15 weeks prior, or between 105 - 112 days before the trip date. The variation happens because the Trenitalia calendar updates weekly, not daily, so it won't be exactly 15 weeks to the day.

Just a quick tip about the train. We did the reverse (Rome to Venice) a few weeks ago and upon boarding the train the guy in front of me helped my wife with her suitcase... then demanded a tip. I told him to take a hike but others on the train who had the same thing happen were shocked and surprised and wound up giving him 5 euros.

 

I talked to a few people and they said it's quite common so keep your eyes out. I've also been told to keep an eye on your luggage.

 

As far a the Santa Lucia station, the only difficult part is the bridge. It's only about 500 meters from the station to the people mover. Very doable. Just my 2 cents :)

We had a similar experience, also Rome to Venice. After we boarded and put our luggage where it looked like it should go, someone convinced us it should be in (a more awkward spot) in the middle of the car instead.

He wanted 10 euros after giving us this info and moving one of our bags the half/third of the way down the car and was really insistent.He was hard to get rid of but we kept telling him we didn't have more cash (Had given him a euro or two, since we thought he was being helpful).

I found the trickiest part was going from the People mover to the ship. The steps on the bridge are quite deep and only a couple of inches high, so you can just pull the bag down.

Has anyone had any problems using a non'chip charge card to pay for a Trenitalia rail ticket on line? Also, once the transaction is completed what do you get for an actual "ticket"? Is it a printable ticket? Thanks.

Yes, generally the magnetic strip cards do not work in most ticket machines( and gas pumps) in Europe. You can either pay in advance on the website or wait in line at the train station for a clerk to swipe your card. The other option if you are starting in Rome is to go to the American Express office by the Spanish Steps and buy your ticket from one of their agents.

Yes, generally the magnetic strip cards do not work in most ticket machines( and gas pumps) in Europe. You can either pay in advance on the website or wait in line at the train station for a clerk to swipe your card. The other option if you are starting in Rome is to go to the American Express office by the Spanish Steps and buy your ticket from one of their agents.

Thanks. Did you have any problems using a non'chip credit card using the on line service of Trenitalia to buy the ticket? Thanks,

Thanks. Did you have any problems using a non'chip credit card using the on line service of Trenitalia to buy the ticket? Thanks,

I had no problems using my credit card in March on Trenitalia to get my ticket for the Venice-Rome trip.

The issue with non-chip cards mainly occurs at unmanned kiosks.

I had no problems using my credit card in March on Trenitalia to get my ticket for the Venice-Rome trip.

 

The issue with non-chip cards mainly occurs at unmanned kiosks.

Thanks so much. Did you have any problem getting your luggage into the vaporetto? We travel light but I am concerned with getting in and out if the vaporetto is crowded. We were docked at San Basilio last time but I don't know where we will be this time. Thanks so much for all your advice.

I hae not yet bought online but I am about to buy tickets for an upcoming trip Livorno to Lucca on line.So fingers crossed.But I can't imagine it being a problem -- the problem as the other posted noted is the automatic machines can't read the magnetic strip. What I can't remember is if the machines also take cash. Otherwise options are going to a counter manned by a person or buying online. Good luck!

Thanks so much. Did you have any problem getting your luggage into the vaporetto? We travel light but I am concerned with getting in and out if the vaporetto is crowded. We were docked at San Basilio last time but I don't know where we will be this time. Thanks so much for all your advice.

I did not have any problem boarding the vaporetto at San Basilio. The boat pulls up level with the platform. If I recall, I only had to lift my (wheeled) suitcase a couple of inches over a small lip to get it onboard. There was a rack for luggage right there beside the entrance, and the vaporetto was not that crowded. I placed my bag onto the rack but at floor level (no lifting).

Getting off was not a problem either. The hardest part (and even this wasn't very hard) was getting the suitcase up the steps in front of the train station. I believe I read later that there is a way to access the station from the side that avoids the stairs, if you can find it.

Has anyone had any problems using a non'chip charge card to pay for a Trenitalia rail ticket on line? Also, once the transaction is completed what do you get for an actual "ticket"? Is it a printable ticket? Thanks.

I just bought 2 tickets for the Florence to Rome line. They sent actual tickets to us via UPS and charged a hefty fee. Electronic ticketing was not an option for U.S. purchasers

I just bought 2 tickets for the Florence to Rome line. They sent actual tickets to us via UPS and charged a hefty fee. Electronic ticketing was not an option for U.S. purchasers

Did you use Trenitalia or another site? I have not had a problem getting an electronic voucher from Trenitalia in the last couple of years for advance purchase tickets, including a RT from Rome to Naples, and a one-way from Venice to Rome.

Did you use Trenitalia or another site? I have not had a problem getting an electronic voucher from Trenitalia in the last couple of years for advance purchase tickets, including a RT from Rome to Naples, and a one-way from Venice to Rome.

They either purchased from a reseller, or they're using the Italo train, not Trenitalia.

I just bought 2 tickets for the Florence to Rome line. They sent actual tickets to us via UPS and charged a hefty fee. Electronic ticketing was not an option for U.S. purchasers

I am in the US. I had etickets for my Florence/Rome trip back in May. I did not have tickets sent to me. I just printed off the emailed eticket. The conductors onboard even have the capability of getting your ticket off of your smartphone. Perhaps you did not search far enough on the site. Trenitalia is a pretty forward-thinking company. Did you actually buy form the trenitalia site or did you buy from RailEurope??? Even if they used Italo and not Trenitalia, it has ticketless options, just like Trenitalia.

If you want to board the train at Santa Lucia, you will have to go from your ship to Piazzale Roma (most people would recommend using the new People Mover to do this, I believe the charge is 1 euro and it's easy to do with luggage). Then at Piazzale Roma you just have to get to the train station, as others have said, over one bridge.

 

If you want to spring for a taxi from the ship, they can take you to the Mestre station for relatively little hassle. Sometimes taxis are waiting, but others have recommended pre-booking one if you are concerned about timing.

 

I just took the train from Venice to Rome (as a solo female) last April. I was lucky in that my ship docked at San Basilio rather than in the large Marittima port. I was able to take a vaporetto from right next to my ship to the stop directly in front of the train station at Santa Lucia -- easy as could be. As the other poster said above, I had no problem finding a spot for my luggage and had a 2nd class seat reserved (purchased in advance at a super saver rate).

 

It was a nice journey and I'd certainly do it again.

We took the train from Santa Lucia to Florence and had to lug our bags over the bridge (also do the people mover). It is an effort, but I was in my mid-60s and managed. Still, it is an effort, because the bridge doesn't have a ramp, it is all steps.

I have an additional question for trains out of Venice. We are thinking of taking a train from Venice to Paris rather than fly. How best to research this? Recommendations? Thank you.